The University of Central Arkansas will hold spring commencement on Thursday and Friday, April 30 and May 1, 2026. All ceremonies will be held at the Farris Center and will be livestreamed.

The university will confer 986 undergraduate degrees and certificates and 324 graduate degrees and certificates from the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences; College of Business; College of Education; College of Health and Behavioral Sciences; College of Science and Engineering; and the Graduate School.

Commencement ceremonies will be held at the following times:

Thursday, April 30

• Graduate School Spring Commencement Ceremony (all colleges) – 5 p.m.

Friday, May 1
Undergraduate Spring Commencement Ceremonies

• College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences – 9 a.m.
• College of Business and College of Education – noon.
• College of Health and Behavioral Sciences (Exercise Science, Health Sciences, Nutrition and Family Sciences, Psychology and Counseling) – 3 p.m.
• College of Health and Behavioral Sciences (Nursing, Communications Sciences and Disorders) & College of Science and Engineering – 6 p.m.

Students receiving the President’s Medallion for Outstanding Student of the University for 2025-26 are:

• Connor Atkinson from the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. Atkinson, a native of Harrison, is completing a Bachelor of Science in Sociology and will be attending graduate school to continue his education. He is the son of Terra and Richard Atkinson.
• Mason Smith from the College of Business. Smith, a native of Harrison, is completing a Bachelor of Business Administration with double majors in Finance and Insurance & Risk Management, and will begin a full-time position with Simmons Bank’s Banker Foundation program in May. He is the son of Don and Brenda Smith.
• Cicely Verzani from the College of Education. Verzani, a native of Pea Ridge, is completing a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and plans to return to Pea Ridge and teach at a primary school in the area. She is the daughter of Jason and Renee Verzani.
• Abigail Simpson from the College of Health and Behavioral Sciences. Simpson, a native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, is completing a Bachelor of Science in Exercise and Sport Science and plans to attend the Doctorate of Physical Therapy program at the University of Oklahoma. She is the daughter of Bret and Teri Simpson.
• Cole Morrison from the College of Science and Engineering. Morrison, a native of Conway, is completing a Bachelor of Science in Physics and plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Medical Physics. He is the son of James and Angela Morrison.

More information about spring commencement is available at .

The University of Central Arkansas honored outstanding faculty and staff during the 73rd annual Faculty & Staff Recognition Celebration Tuesday, April 14.

Ashley Phillips, Department of Accounting, received the Public Service Award, which recognizes individuals whose service contributions to the BTÌìÌĂcommunity, professional community and outside communities have been exceptional. Through service work such as volunteering for charitable organizations, serving on advisory boards, donating professional expertise, serving on committees and conducting outreach programs, honorees have improved conditions within the community and enhanced the quality of life for all citizens. Nykela Jackson, Department of Teaching and Learning, and Will Slaton, Department of Physics, Astronomy, and Engineering, were finalists for the award.

Hal Halvorson, Department of Biology, received the Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity Award, which recognizes individuals whose contributions to their disciplines have been exemplary. Through original work in research, scholarship or creative activities – such as performances and artistic productions – they have expanded human knowledge, interpreted the human experience or enhanced quality of life. Louis Nadelson, Department of Leadership Studies, was the finalist for the award.

Anna Park, Department of Psychology and Counseling, received the Teaching Excellence Award, which is given to faculty who have consistently demonstrated exceptional performance in teaching. Recipients of this award strive to enhance student learning as they continually seek ways to improve their teaching. Ben Cash, Department of Biology, and Matthew Taylor, Department of Music, were finalists for the award.

Sandra Childress, director of Student Health, was named the 2025-2026 BTÌìÌĂEmployee of the Year. The Employee of the Year is presented to a full-time staff member who has shown extraordinary performance to the university community over the past year and who goes above and beyond in their care for students, colleagues and UCA. Any full-time staff member with two or more years of continuous service to the university prior to Jan. 1 of the award year is eligible. Leila Dickinson, Academic Advising, and Amanda Paladino, Office of the Registrar, were finalists for the award.

Juan Maefield, Department of History, received the Student Advocacy Award, a newly established initiative of the Office of Student Advocacy and Community created to recognize individuals who demonstrate a sustained commitment to advancing the retention and holistic success of students. Travis Johnson, Division of Student Affairs; Stephanie Rose, Department of Health Sciences; and Susan Shaw, Department of Computer Information Systems & Analytics, were finalists for the award.

Ginny Adams, Department of Biology, was honored with the Shumaker-Wright Mentorship Award, which the University Honors Council created in 2022 to recognize the importance of supporting undergraduate research, scholarship and creative activity. Supporting student participation in mentored research is an important component of the university’s mission. The award is named in honor of Conrad Shumaker and Terry Wright, who had each mentored more than 20 undergraduate student capstone/thesis projects at the time of their retirements. Jeremy Lusk, Department of Physics, Astronomy and Engineering; Marsha Massey, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry; and J.J. McIntyre, School of Communication, were finalists for the award.

Retirees and Employees of the Quarter were also honored during the ceremony.

The contest invites high school students from across the Central Arkansas region to test their mathematical skills in a competitive academic setting. Students enrolled in Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Precalculus and Trigonometry, Calculus, and Statistics are eligible to participate.

Top-scoring students from regional contests held across the state will advance to the ACTM Invitational State Mathematics Contest, which will also take place on the BTÌìÌĂcampus Saturday, April 25.

Contest activities will begin at 9:30 a.m. with check-in at the Mathematics and Computer Science Building on the BTÌìÌĂcampus. The exam will begin at 10 a.m. and conclude at 11 a.m. Following the competition, participants will be guided to the Student Center for lunch before an awards ceremony at 1 p.m. in Doyne Auditorium, located next to the Math Building.

The registration fee for the regional contest is $5 per student. Students and sponsors can register at .

The Arkansas Council of Teachers of Mathematics (ACTM) is a professional association that supports and encourages good mathematics teaching. ACTM conducts annual regional and state mathematics contests that provide an opportunity for high school students to compete academically. Following the regional contest, teachers may access the regional tests and use them as teaching tools.

More information about the BTÌìÌĂregional contest is available by contacting Travis Chism at tchism1@uca.edu. More information about statewide contests is available by contacting ACTM State Contest Director Garth Johnson at garthj@uca.edu. More information about ACTM is available at .

Tickets available now for March 15 performance

“Ya Got Trouble” in Conway as the University of Central Arkansas Public Appearances presents Meredith Willson’s “THE MUSIC MAN” at Reynolds Performance Hall Sunday, March 15, at 7:30 p.m.

There’s trouble in River City when a fast-talking salesman gets his heart stolen by the town librarian. Meredith Willson’s six-time, Tony Award-winning musical comedy “THE MUSIC MAN” follows fast-talking traveling salesman Harold Hill as he cons the people of River City, Iowa, into buying instruments and uniforms for a boys’ band that he vows to organize – this, despite the fact that he doesn’t know a trombone from a treble clef. His plans to skip town with the cash are foiled when he falls for Marian the librarian who transforms him into a respectable citizen by curtain’s fall. Featuring songs such as “Seventy-Six Trombones,” “Ya Got Trouble,” “‘Till There Was You,” “Pick-a-Little” and “Gary, Indiana,” “THE MUSIC MAN” is a family-friendly story to be shared with every generation.

Produced by Big League Productions, veteran director Matt Lenz will helm this new reimagined show of a beloved classic. Joshua Bergasse, Emmy Award winner, Tony Award nominee and critically acclaimed choreographer, will create all new dances for the citizens of River City.

BTÌìÌĂPublic Appearances has continued to grow each year and now offers five unique series: Broadway, POPS, Night Out, An Evening With, and the Windgate Collection. Reynolds Performance Hall has also welcomed over 70,000 pre-K-12th grade students from across the state of Arkansas to experience live performing arts through the Main Stage Education Series. This series educates while entertaining and provides arts accessibility to all students.

Tickets range from $34.50 to $57.50 for adults and $11.50 for students. Tickets are on sale now and may be purchased at the Reynolds box office or Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts box office Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., online at uca.edu/publicappearances, or by calling BTÌìÌĂTicket Central at (501) 450-3265 or toll free at (866) 810-0012. Student and children’s tickets are only available by contacting the box office.

The University of Central Arkansas has received the , an elective designation awarded by the American Council on Education (ACE) and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching that highlights an institution’s commitment to community engagement. BTÌìÌĂwas first awarded the Carnegie CE Classification in 2020, and this renewal is valid until 2032.

“At UCA, community engagement is deeply integrated into our teaching, research and service,” Provost and Executive Vice President Michael Hargis said. “This recognition reflects the intentional work of our campus to connect academic experience with community need so that our students see the practical impact of what they are learning.

“Through these collaborative partnerships, students gain transformative learning experiences while our communities benefit from the expertise and innovation of our faculty, staff and students.”

UCA’s renewal application documented excellent alignment among campus mission, culture, leadership, resources, and practices that support dynamic and noteworthy community engagement.

“Actively partnering with our communities is part of UCA’s fabric as an institution,” Dr. Lesley Graybeal, executive director of Outreach and Community Engagement, said. “This classification recognizes the collaborative culture that so many BTÌìÌĂfaculty, staff, students and community members have worked to build, and we look forward to seeing these partnerships and their impacts continue to grow in the future.”

The CE Classification is awarded following a process of self-study by each institution, which also includes feedback submitted by community partners. The classification has been the leading framework for institutional assessment and recognition of community engagement in U.S. higher education for the past 19 years with classification cycles in 2006, 2008, 2010, 2015, 2020, 2024 and now 2026. The 2029 cycle will be for first-time applicants.

In the 2026 cycle, 239 institutions earned the CE Classification, joining the 40 institutions classified in 2024 for a total of 279 institutions that currently hold the designation. Of the institutions recognized in 2026, 48 are receiving the classification for the first time, while 191 have previously held it. The 2026 cohort includes a diverse range of institutions, with 158 public institutions, 81 private colleges and universities, and 82 Minority Serving Institutions represented among the recipients.

“The institutions receiving the 2026 Community Engagement Classification exemplify American higher education’s commitment to the greater good,” ACE President Ted Mitchell said. “The beneficiaries of this unflagging dedication to public purpose missions are their students, their teaching and research enterprises, and their wider communities.”

A listing of all the institutions that currently hold the classification endorsement can be .

About the Carnegie Classifications

The Carnegie Classifications are the nation’s leading framework for categorizing and describing colleges and universities in the United States. Utilized frequently by policymakers, funders, and researchers, the Classifications are a critical benchmarking tool for postsecondary institutions. ACE and the Carnegie Foundation announced a partnership in to reimagine the Classifications to better reflect the diversity of postsecondary institutions and more completely characterize the impact that today’s institutions have in society.

About ACE

ACE is a membership organization that leads higher education with a united vision for the future, galvanizing our members to make change and collaborating across the sector to design solutions for today’s challenges, serve the needs of a diverse student population, and shape effective public policy. As the major coordinating body for the nation’s colleges and universities, our strength lies in our diverse membership of nearly 1,600 colleges and universities, related associations, and other organizations in America and abroad. ACE is the only major higher education association to represent all types of U.S. accredited, degree-granting colleges and universities. For more information, please visit or follow ACE on X and .

About the Carnegie Foundation

The mission of the Carnegie Foundation is to catalyze transformational change in education so that every student has the opportunity to live a healthy, dignified, and fulfilling life. Enacted by an act of Congress in 1906, the Foundation has a rich history of driving transformational change in the education sector, including the establishment of TIAA-CREF and the creation of the Education Testing Service, the GRE, Pell Grants, and the Carnegie Classifications for Higher Education. Today, the Foundation is dedicated to the transformation of the American high school and making the postsecondary sector a more vital engine for economic mobility.

From “JAWS” motion picture, ™ & ©Universal Studios

The University of Central Arkansas Public Appearances invites audiences to relive the thrilling suspense of “JAWS” as the Conway Symphony Orchestra plays the iconic score in sync with the film projected on the big screen in “JAWS in Concert” coming to Reynolds Performance Hall Saturday, March 7, at 7 p.m.

This original summer movie blockbuster, with an Academy Award-winning score by composer John Williams, becomes an unforgettable film-with-live-orchestra experience. Directed by Academy Award winner Steven Spielberg, “JAWS” set the standard for edge-of-your-seat suspense, quickly becoming a cultural phenomenon and forever changing the movie industry. When the seaside community of Amity finds itself under attack by a dangerous great white shark, the town’s chief of police, a young marine biologist and a grizzled shark hunter embark on a desperate quest to destroy the beast before it strikes again.

Featuring an unforgettable score that evokes pure terror, “JAWS” remains one of the most influential and gripping adventures in motion picture history. Now, audiences will have the chance to experience the power of a live symphony orchestra performing the entire score in sync with one of the greatest motion pictures of all time.

“We are proud to present the Conway Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Israel Getzov, for what promises to be a spectacular performance,” Amanda Horton, BTÌìÌĂPublic Appearances executive director, said. “Their professionalism and extraordinary talent will bring John Williams’ legendary score to life in a way that surrounds the audience with sound and suspense.

“Seeing the film on the big screen while hearing the music performed live creates a dynamic, immersive experience.”

BTÌìÌĂPublic Appearances has continued to grow each year and now offers five unique series: Broadway, POPS, Night Out, An Evening With, and the Windgate Collection. Reynolds Performance Hall has also welcomed over 70,000 pre-K-12th grade students from across the state of Arkansas to experience live performing arts through the Main Stage Education Series. This series educates while entertaining and provides arts accessibility to all students.

This event contains adult themes and mature content. Tickets range from $34.50 to $57.50 for adults and $11.50 for students. Tickets are on sale now and may be purchased at the Reynolds box office or Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts box office Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., online at uca.edu/publicappearances, or by calling BTÌìÌĂTicket Central at (501) 450-3265 or toll free at (866) 810-0012. Student tickets are only available by contacting the box office.

The University of Central Arkansas Public Appearances will present “The Simon & Garfunkel Story” Friday, Feb. 20, at 7 p.m. at Reynolds Performance Hall.

Audiences will relive the magic of the legendary folk-rock duo with this immersive concert-style tribute show, complete with nostalgia-inducing unforgettable hits, which recreates the magic and authenticity of a Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel concert. Produced by Ruckus Entertainment, this live stage show chronicles the amazing journey of the iconic, Grammy Award-winning act.

“The Simon & Garfunkel Story” covers the duo’s humble beginnings as Tom & Jerry, to their incredible success as one of the best-selling music groups of the ’60s, as well as their dramatic split in 1970. “The Simon & Garfunkel Story” culminates with the pair’s famous “The Concert in Central Park” reunion in 1981, which had more than half a million fans in attendance. The show features a set list of nearly 30 songs and uses state-of-the-art video projection, photos and original film footage. A full live band will perform all of the hits – including “Mrs. Robinson,” “Cecilia,” “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” “Homeward Bound” and many more – complete with the unmistakably perfect harmonies that will transport audiences down memory lane.

With more than 100 million album sales since 1965, Simon & Garfunkel’s unforgettable songs and poetic lyrics poignantly captured the times and made them one of the most successful folk-rock duos of all time. Over the years, they won 10 Grammy Awards and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. In 1977, the Brit Awards honored their “Bridge Over Troubled Water” album with Best International Album. In 2003, Simon & Garfunkel were awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and the following year saw their “The Sound of Silence” awarded a Grammy Hall of Fame Award.

BTÌìÌĂPublic Appearances has continued to grow each year and now offers five unique series: Broadway, POPS, Night Out, An Evening With, and the Windgate Collection. Reynolds Performance Hall has also welcomed over 70,000 pre-K-12th grade students from across the state of Arkansas to experience live performing arts through the Main Stage Education Series. This series educates while entertaining and provides arts accessibility to all students.

This event contains adult themes and mature content. Tickets range from $34.50 to $57.50 for adults and $11.50 for students. Tickets are on sale now and may be purchased at the Reynolds box office or Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts box office Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., online at uca.edu/publicappearances, or by calling BTÌìÌĂTicket Central at (501) 450-3265 or toll free at (866) 810-0012. Student tickets are only available by contacting the box office.

Photo by Brandon Ilaw

The University of Central Arkansas will welcome ShoutHouse – a genre-defying musical collective blending instrumental music, vocals and hip-hop – for a multi-day artist residency Friday, Feb. 6, through Tuesday, Feb. 10, with events that highlight collaboration, contemporary music-making and live performance.

Based in New York City, ShoutHouse is the brainchild of composer/multi-instrumentalist Will Healy. The collective of musicians brings together complex grooves, poetic hip-hop, high-octane vocals and instrumental solos in a way that is uniquely their own. Their sound is an “ a lavishly orchestrated, absolutely unique blend of postrock, art-rock and indie classical styles” (New York Music Daily).

“We couldn’t be more excited to feature ShoutHouse in a performance of Healy’s ‘Passages’ with the BTÌìÌĂWind Ensemble,” Dr. Dominic Talanca, director of bands and conductor of the BTÌìÌĂWind Ensemble, said. “We are fortunate that this residency will feature several activities for our students and the public.”

ShoutHouse’s residency will include open rehearsals with the BTÌìÌĂWind Ensemble, conversations focused on entrepreneurship in music, pop-up concerts across campus, and a culminating public concert. Events will be held at the Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts and the Snow Fine Arts Center. All events are located on the BTÌìÌĂcampus and are open to the public and free of charge unless otherwise noted.

“When [I] was approached about writing a ShoutHouse-style piece for wind ensemble, I immediately thought about language as a unifying theme for the work,” Healy said. “I pictured emcees, a singer, jazz soloists and dozens of instrumentalists attempting to communicate a single narrative through music and words.

“That tension and opposition among styles would become a basis for playful structural shifts and dynamic musical conversations.”

The full schedule for ShoutHouse’s residency is as follows:

• Friday, Feb. 6 , noon-2 p.m. – Student Event: BTÌìÌĂWind Ensemble Open Rehearsal with ShoutHouse, Concert Hall, Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts.
• Sunday, Feb. 8, 3-4:30 p.m. – Student Event: “Entrepreneurship in Music: A Conversation With ShoutHouse,” Recital Hall, Snow Fine Arts Center.
• Monday, Feb. 9, noon-2 p.m. – Public Event: BTÌìÌĂWind Ensemble Open Rehearsal with ShoutHouse, Concert Hall, Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts.
• Monday, Feb. 9, 3-4 p.m. – Student Event: Pop-up Concerts Around Campus, various campus venues.
• Tuesday, Feb. 10, 7:30-9 p.m. – Public Event: BTÌìÌĂWind Ensemble Concert Featuring ShoutHouse, Concert Hall, Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts. General public tickets are available at uca.edu/publicappearances/tickets. BTÌìÌĂstudents can receive up to two free tickets by visiting the box office at Reynolds Performance Hall or the Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts.

More information about ShoutHouse is available at . More information about the residency is available by contacting Dr. Dominic Talanca at dtalanca@uca.edu.

The University of Central Arkansas College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences will celebrate the nation’s semiquincentennial with America at 250 Week Feb. 9-12. The week will feature exhibits, performances, events and Artists in Residence.

Two ongoing exhibits in UCA’s Baum Gallery will anchor the week: “America 250 Selfie Throne,” by Artist in Residence Kat Wilson, and “Ancestral Spirits: Stitching the Past to the Present,” by Artist in Residence Alice Aida Ayers. Support for these exhibitions comes from the BTÌìÌĂArtists in Residence Program and Visit Conway. The Baum Gallery, located in room 145 of McCastlain Hall on the BTÌìÌĂcampus in Conway, is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visitor parking is located next door in front of and behind Wingo Hall. Additional information about these exhibitions and events is available by contacting Dr. Rachel Trusty at rtrusty1@uca.edu.

Other public events throughout the week will include:

Monday, Feb. 9

• Noon-2 p.m. – Artists in Residence ShoutHouse – Public Event: BTÌìÌĂWind Ensemble Open Rehearsal, Concert Hall, Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts, 2150 Bruce Street, Conway.
• 5 p.m. – Public Event: Prelude Performance of Patriotic Music by Pinnacle Brass, Reynolds Performance Hall Lobby.
• 6 p.m. – Public Film Screening: “Hamilton” with Talkback by RenĂ©e Elise Goldsberry, Reynolds Performance Hall, presented in collaboration with BTÌìÌĂPublic Appearances. Tickets are $28.75 for the general public, available at uca.edu/publicappearances/tickets. BTÌìÌĂstudents can receive up to two free tickets by visiting the box office at Reynolds Performance Hall or the Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts.

Tuesday, Feb. 10

• 1:40 p.m. – Public Lectures: Reflections on American Oratory and Dance, “Frederick Douglass on the National Anniversary” by Dr. Lori Leavell; “Magnetic Dancing ‘Revelations’” by Dr. Crystal Harris, Baum Gallery, McCastlain Hall.
• 7:30 p.m. – Public Concert: “Variations on America at 250,” featuring BTÌìÌĂWind Ensemble, Dr. Dominic Talanca, conductor (University of Central Arkansas); Nicholas Enrico Williams, guest conductor (University of Georgia); Blake Arrington, clarinet soloist (U.S. Air Force Band); Will Healy, composer; and Artists in Residence ShoutHouse, guest artists. Concert Hall, Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts. General public tickets are available at uca.edu/publicappearances/tickets. BTÌìÌĂstudents can receive up to two free tickets by visiting the box office at Reynolds Performance Hall or the Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts.

Wednesday, Feb. 11

• 3:30 p.m. – Public Lecture: “Mother Ann Lee, the Shakers’ Radical Prophet: Women, Religious Expression, and American Identity,” by Dr. Taine Duncan, Fireplace Room, McCastlain Hall.
• 6:30 p.m. – Reading and Book Signing: “Under Alien Skies: Environment, Suffering, and the Defeat of the British Military in Revolutionary America” by Dr. Vaughn Scribner, Fireplace Room, McCastlain Hall.

Thursday, Feb. 12

• 1:40-3 p.m. – A 250 Gathering (With Cake), Baum Gallery, McCastlain Hall. This celebration will include a reading of the Declaration of Independence by President Houston Davis and a special semiquincentennial announcement; fife and drum performance by Katie McManus (percussion) and Kami Curtis (flute); performance of 18th-century American music by Dr. Ben Thorburn (harpsichord and vocals), Clara Spivey (flute), Mary Ruth Kitchens (vocals) and the BTÌìÌĂCollegium Singers; Independence Day Wish for America Tree; and interactive 250 Cabinets, created by first-year art students, inviting attendees to handle, reveal and reflect on the American experiment, Fireplace Room, McCastlain Hall.
• 6 p.m. – Public Event: Gallery Talk with Artist in Residence Kat Wilson, Baum Gallery, McCastlain Hall. The gallery will have extended hours from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

The BTÌìÌĂArtists in Residence program is funded by the Fine and Performing Arts Fee paid by all students, with additional support from Engage Management and Pyramid Art, Books, and Custom Framing. More information about the Artists in Residence program is available at .

More information about America at 250 Week is available at uca.edu/cahss/america-at-250-week, or by contacting Dr. Gayle Seymour, associate dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, at gayles@uca.edu.

The University of Central Arkansas Public Appearances will present “SERIAL KILLERS WITH DR. SCOTT BONN” Thursday, Feb. 19, at 7 p.m. at the Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts, 2150 Bruce Street, Conway.

Dr. Scott Bonn is a criminologist, producer, TV analyst, public speaker and author of the bestselling popular culture book “Why We Love Serial Killers: The Curious Appeal of the World’s Most Savage Murderers.” He has provided expert commentary and analysis for several high-profile true crime TV shows and documentaries on A&E, Discovery Network, Oxygen, Investigation Discovery and Travel Channel.

Bonn also authored the critically acclaimed sociology book “Mass Deception: Moral Panic and the U.S. War on Iraq.” His fact-based crime thriller novel, “Evil Guardian,” was inspired by his correspondence with notorious, real-life serial killers David Berkowitz (Son of Sam) and Dennis Rader (Bind, Torture, Kill). Bonn is an expert on criminal behavior and is highly respected for answering the puzzling question of “why the perpetrator did it” in complex murder cases.

Bonn has comprehensively studied, extensively corresponded with, personally interviewed and accurately profiled some of the world’s most notorious predators. Rather than employing a pop psychology or checklist approach to describe serial killers, he relies on his direct interactions to explain that serial killers are psychologically complex, diverse and evolve from forces of both nature (biology) and nurture (environment). Simply put, Bonn takes his audience inside the minds of some of the world’s most terrifying killers from his own unique experiences rather than from a textbook. He has also communicated with infamous mass murderer Colin Ferguson and notorious one-time killers Jodi Arias and Pamela Smart.

BTÌìÌĂPublic Appearances has continued to grow each year and now offers five unique series: Broadway, POPS, Night Out, An Evening With, and the Windgate Collection. Reynolds Performance Hall has also welcomed over 70,000 pre-K-12th grade students from across the state of Arkansas to experience live performing arts through the Main Stage Education Series. This series educates while entertaining and provides arts accessibility to all students.

This event contains adult themes and mature content. Tickets range from $23 to $46 for adults and $11.50 for students. Tickets are on sale now and may be purchased at the Reynolds box office or Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts box office Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., online at , or by calling BTÌìÌĂTicket Central at (501) 450-3265 or toll free at (866) 810-0012. Student tickets are only available by contacting the box office.